


Thanks For The Fish

by NicheTales



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Familiar!Makki, M/M, Modern Fantasy, Shaman!Matsukawa, Shapeshifter!Kuroo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-08 01:22:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16419731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicheTales/pseuds/NicheTales
Summary: It may have been a mistake, feeding the cat. At the time, Issei only meant to share a snack between travelers, not adopt a stray.





	Thanks For The Fish

Issei meets him on the subway, a notably odd place to meet a shapeshifter, but judgement of others had never been a skill of his and he wasn’t going to begin now. Nothing gave the shifter away at first, no tails or claws or whiskers, only when hazel eyes flashed of opalescent green in the light of a passing train did Issei quirk a brow. Maybe his pupils weren’t perfect circles. Issei wasn’t looking that closely.

He hadn’t been completely sure until he opened a package of fish jerky, and the stranger crept uncomfortably close. A little too amusing, the way the shifter tried to be inconspicuous, his movements slow and a little too purposely casual as he edged his way closer to stand beside Issei on the train platform. He didn’t say anything, only watched a little too obviously from the corner of his eyes, a lick of lips and restless shift of weight. Issei may have seen his nose twitch a little. 

It may have been a mistake, feeding the cat. At the time, Issei only meant to share a snack between travelers, not adopt a stray.

Issei learned two days later that his name was Kuroo, and yes, he has a given name but that would be told unto Issei in time, as their trust grew. The very next day, he saw him again at the same train platform, and he blurted out that his name is Tetsurou, but everyone calls him “Tetsu” and he hates it. He doesn’t stop them from calling him that though, just as Issei doesn’t stop Tetsurou when he follows him onto the train, off of the train, and up the cobblestone path of his home. 

He does most certainly stop him at the iron gate with a sigh. 

“Well, this is me.” He states calmly, hoping the cat will get the clue to find his own way back home. 

“It looks lovely. Cobblestone and so much ivy. Does it get drafty?” 

Issei rubs his face with his palm, watches the cat smirk before he realizes that surely Kuroo  _ knows _ . He bids him farewell with a smile, a quick  _ thanks for the fish _ as he seems to say each time they meet though Issei hadn’t given him any this time, and disappears around the corner. 

It’s nearly a week before Issei sees the cat again, this time looking like nothing more than a mangy stray with silky black fur and some singed whiskers. He wonders for a moment how he burned off the edges of his whiskers, but decides not to ask. The strange happenings of a shifter aren’t any concern of his unless the cat asks for help. 

He kind of hopes that particular cat won’t ask.

Kuroo winks at him, climbs up the wooden panel of modern fencing before slinking off, a whip of his tail and shake of his shoulders that make Issei think he’s been snickered at by a cat. He’s a bit weird, but Issei’s never really met any other shifters to compare to so, maybe they’re just all a bit peculiar. 

Issei isn’t sure why he’s kept track, but it is day thirteen when he sees Kuroo again, lounging on the cobblestone walls beside his iron gate, a lazy droop to his eyes and cheshire flash of teeth. 

“You live nearby?” Issei asks. 

Kuroo doesn’t answer. When Issei considers it, he’s not sure why he asked because surely Kuroo couldn’t form human words with a cat mouth. Maybe he thought Kuroo would nod or shake his head. He opens the gate to his home with a painfully loud creak of metal, clammors it shut without another thought and almost opens the door to his flat when he sees black in the corner of his eye. 

“I don’t want you in my house.” He says bluntly, gently scooting Kuroo to the side away from the door so he can open it, but stops when Kuroo slinks back in front of the door. He doesn’t know quite how to describe the face Kuroo gives him, but it makes him think that Kuroo has an awfully unattractive face for a cat. 

Cats have never really been Issei’s favorite animal. He’s not really supposed to have a favorite, supposed to love and cherish all creatures equally, per his training as a shaman, but things don’t always quite work out like expected. It’s a work in progress, really. The effort is there. 

Issei ends up picking up Kuroo, walking stiffly down the path, and dropping him onto the other side of the gate.  He slips inside his front door with a watchful eye of the black cat on the other side of his gate, greeting Makki with a smile and petting behind long, soft ears. He ignores the way Kuroo watches him through the window with a feline sneer. Maybe Kuroo just doesn’t like rabbits, or familiars, or maybe he’s just jealous that Makki gets to be inside and he doesn’t. Maybe that’s too animal like of a thought process for a shifter. Doesn’t matter. Issei doesn’t think too much of it. 

Two weeks pass, and Issei thinks maybe,  _ maybe, _ he’s free of the cat. Not that Kuroo had been much of a real menace, but he didn’t want to keep fighting him to keep him out of his house. He hadn’t seen Kuroo in his human form in days, hadn’t actually talked to him, but he wasn’t really sure he wanted to. 

Unfortunately, as Issei shuts the ironrought gate of his home, combs calloused hands through curly hair, there’s a lanky shifter lounging his back against Issei’s front door. 

Issei doesn’t think he’s ever sighed quite so heavy. "You can't live here."

"Why not?"

"I can't have pets." 

"I am not a pet." Kuroo’s eyes narrow, and Issei almost cares that he seems to have struck a nerve. 

"Could have fooled me."

"But the rabbit-" 

"My familiar, Makki, not a pet." 

"Good thing I'm not a pet, then." 

Issei can feel the itch of an oncoming headache, already exhausted from his work of the day, the echoes of the ramblings from an old witch at the back of his mind, and for half a second considers just taking a nap in his garden instead. It wouldn’t solve the cat problem, though. Kuroo seems unimpressed yet amused, eyes half lidded and bright, lips drawn thin with a crooked smile just as quirky as his hair. 

“Tomorrow, okay?” Issei compromises, immediately regretting it as Kuroo’s expression brightens further, but he steps aside, pats Issei on the shoulder. 

“See you tomorrow then, Shaman.” 

He frowns at being called by his livelihood, but shakes his head of any thought. He just wants to curl up and take a nap with Makki. Tomorrow’s problems are for tomorrow’s Issei to handle. 

Regret pours in faster than he was ready for. Tomorrow comes far too quickly, dinner skipped in favor of sleep, and Issei feels his patience waning already when he finds Kuroo standing in his kitchen. 

"Do you ever take your makeup off?" 

Matsukawa considers explaining that it's not makeup, it's the markings of a shaman, of his people, but settles deeper into the ragged sofa with a tired sigh and a  _ no _ .

He’s pretty sure Kuroo knew that anyways.

“Why didn’t you just come in before if you could apparently walk into my flat anytime?” Asks Issei, too tired for false pleasantries. 

“I’m not a dick. It’s your house, not mine. I don’t just wander in without being invited.” Kuroo explains, stretches with a feline yawn that shows just the barest line of his midriff between slightly loose pants an-

“Are those mine?” 

A smile, a guilty, almost sheepish yet totally unapologetic grin is all Kuroo gives him. It’s enough. Issei didn’t really care about those pants anyways, he figures. 

The first few days with his new roommate are uneventful. Issei doesn’t know what Kuroo actually wants or how long he plans to stay, but it’s not the first time he’s housed a stray for awhile. He makes a little extra food at mealtimes, leaves the iron gate unlocked. Kuroo seems to pick up after himself well enough. Issei appreciates it. He doesn’t appreciate the black fur he finds on the couch or in his bed or in the drain of the shower, but he shrugs it off. It’s not really any worse than what Makki leaves behind anyways. 

So, he has a temporary cat. A lanky, snarky cat who feeds him puns above Issei’s level of scientific knowledge, but at least he doesn’t bring in birds or mice, and he puts his cups in the sink when he’s done with them. As an additional bonus, there are no litter boxes that need cleaning, either.

Makki and Kuroo get along. It’s a nice surprise Issei finds when he comes home from the forest that day, his day pack full of herbs and a couple nice rocks he found for his garden along the way. They’re catnapping quietly, Kuroo’s lanky human form dangling off both ends of the couch, and tufts of auburn fur poking out of a quilted blanket.

He’s pretty sure Kuroo peeks an eye open to watch him as he passes, walking down the narrow hallway to curl into his own bed, but there’s nothing to be said, really. Issei is happy they seem to be comfortable with each other.  _Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back,_ Issei reminds himself as he makes his morning tea one day, Kuroo strewn across the sofa he seems to have deemed as his own. The cat has taken residence in his home for nearly a month now. He’s lost count of the exact number of questions Kuroo has spouted, eyes flickering between the cobwebs of the ceiling and Issei as he flicks the switch of the rice cooker. 

"What does a neo-shaman do anyways?"

Issei licks his lips, scratches his stomach lazily and yawns. He’s been awake for slightly over fifteen minutes, or maybe it’s been an hour. He’s not quite sure. 

"Mediate..." 

Kuroo hums contemplatively, a sound that rumbles more like a purr. Issei glances at him while he pours his tea, considers grabbing a second cup but dismisses the idea. Cats probably don’t drink tea anyways. Maybe they do. It’s probably catnip, though. 

"Between worlds, realms, people.” Issei elaborates calmly, “Sometimes the worlds people live in are different enough that I never feel like I need to travel to see somewhere new." 

"Is that why you keep me around?" 

Issei pauses, cup of tea at his lips. “I just haven’t kicked you out.” 

Kuroo never answers, and when Issei leaves for the day’s work, Issei doesn’t miss the way Kuroo watches him step out the door. He tries not to think too much of it. 

Another week passes, and the sharp hazel eyes seemed to dig at him more and more with every passing moment. Kuroo asks less questions, spends more time curled up with Makki on the too-small sofa, but watches every little thing Issei does. At the end of the week, it occurs to him that he has never seen Kuroo leave the house. Issei wonders if cats can get depressed. 

Probably. 

“Hey,” Issei nudges Kuroo’s foot with his own, though Kuroo watched him do it. “We’re going out.” 

“Are we? I didn’t know you felt that way about me, shaman.” Kuroo replies, the crack of a familiar grin. 

“Yeah. You like boba?” 

***

"What flavor did you get?" 

"Honey Melon.” Issei walks along the sidewalk, admiring the neighboring lilacs with mild interest. The rustle of a cat in a nearby bush makes him wonder for just a moment if Kuroo can understand the language of cats. It seems reasonable… 

"Hmm." Kuroo’s hum brings Issei out of his reverie. 

"Is that peach? Do cats even like peaches? I thought you’d get catnip." 

"Ouch. Stereotypes. Cats like whatever they want to like." 

Issei laughs, almost scoffs. "That's the most cat answer you could have said." 

"Probably." Kuroo takes another sip of boba tea. “What flavor does Hiro like?”

Issei blinks, surprised by such an intimate address of his familiar, and sips his own drink until he can unfurrow his brow enough to answer. 

“Anything sweet. Makki loves sweets. He would rather have a profiterole than boba tea, though.” 

“Of course he likes sweets. He’s pink. Maybe he likes strawberry. I know a crow who loves strawberries.” 

“You know a lot of people, don’t you?” Issei asks absentmindedly, pausing at the ironrought gate, fidgeting with the latch. 

“Yeah,” Kuroo smiles, “but your my favorite, I think. Definitely the only shaman I know.” 

“How flattering.” 

“You’re welcome, Issei.” 

Issei falters in his step as he throws the gate open, almost chokes on his tea, and clears his throat. He’s acutely aware it is the first time Kuroo has ever called him by anything other than  _ Shaman. _

He finds himself without words, ignoring the self satisfactory way that Kuroo’s smile grew, even with his lips wrapped around a plastic straw. Conniving cat probably wants him to choke on his drink.

Kuroo elbows him playfully, laughing when Issei nearly trips over an overgrown root, legs stumbling across the cobblestone path to his door and bumping into Kuroo a little too much to be an accident. A nudge, a bump, a push that is just a bit to strong sends Kuroo falling into a bush with a shout and a laugh. Issei almost feels bad for the plant, certainly not for the cat. 

He’s just happy his local sofa-tumor is smiling again. 

Issei never asks what was wrong, careful not to take two steps forward and one step back. If the cat never asks for help, he never has to give it, but he finds himself drawn to seeing the crooked smile that crinkles his eyes and rounds his cheeks. Besides, no one wants a mopey cat on their couch all the time. 

***

Tuesday afternoons are Issei’s Sunday afternoons. He loves them most, the calm atmosphere, it’s his day off, he can spend the day drinking tea and reading a novella, he doesn’t have to work… 

_ It’s nice. _

“It’s been nearly six months.” 

Issei lowers his book just enough to see Makki at his side on the bed, the twitch of an ear and stance a little too humanoid to feel quite like a normal rabbit. 

“He’s good company.” Issei remarks, brings the novella up though they both know he’s not reading it. 

“I’ll be sure to tell him that.” Makki comments dryly with a twitch of his nose, “We should make fish.” 

“You don’t like fish.”

“Yeah but he likes fish. Make him some fish, Mattsun. He’s a cat.” 

Issei chuckles softly, nestles deeper into the comfort of his duvet and pillows. He makes a point of fixing his reading glasses a little too obnoxiously. 

“Alright. You’re the smart one, even if you can’t read.” 

“Every compliment comes with an insult.” He feels Makki shift, the little thumps of pink rabbit feet that disappear from the bed and plop onto the old carpet. 

“Life is all about balance, Makki.” 

Three hours later, Issei drags himself from his home to the store and back, groceries full of fish and vegetables and one small container of  _ catnip tea. _ Just in case. 

He’s never seen such a happy cat in his life, even if it did come with some snarky remarks about stereotyping, and how  _ not all cats like catnip and fish, Issei _ . 

Issei is pretty sure that’s a lie. All cats like fish. Maybe this one even more than the others. 

After dinner, Issei cleans the dishes as always, tidies up the kitchen just enough to feel tolerable, listens to the faint purr of a happy cat sipping tea on his dining room table. It’s calm, pleasant, homely.  Makki is nesting in the quilt on the sofa, he can feel the comfort and warmth of his happy familiar. There’s only a faint sense of dread for the oncoming day of work tomorrow. Just the normal stuff. 

That moment was his favorite. 

“I’m going out.” Kuroo says suddenly, his cup set carefully on the counter next to Issei and a comfortable hand on his shoulder. Issei blinks, watches Kuroo grin crookedly. “Thanks for all the fish.” 

When Kuroo returns nearly a week later with singed whiskers and the same crooked smile, Issei welcomes him home with a plate of mackerel and a cup of catnip tea. He supposes the temporary cat became a permanent resident, and maybe he likes cats a little more than he thought. 

**Author's Note:**

> This work was originally written for Iron & Concrete: A Middle Blocker Zine  
> Accompanying artwork: [Tumblr](http://nichekinks-art.tumblr.com/post/179460655630/thanks-for-the-fish-completed-for-the)


End file.
